


hey little songbird

by rosegoldblood



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Inspired by Hadestown, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26611693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegoldblood/pseuds/rosegoldblood
Summary: "george, you mustn't strain yourself," dream said, brushing his fingers lightly over the strings of his lyre. his legs were crossed, words and lyrics drifting through his mind, grass against his bare feet. george just hummed."don't be so weird about it," he replied, laying his head in dream's lap, "i'm ill, not dying." dream knew better than to argue with his lover, who was as stubborn as the bulls rounded up near the city. george closed his eyes. "dream, sing me a song."dream obliged.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 129





	1. act one

**Author's Note:**

> what happens when a dnf fan listens to 'when the chips are down' from hadestown for three hours straight? this. this is what happens. also, despite the numerous references to the musical, this is based off the original myth, not the modern interpretation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _wait for me,_   
>  _i'm coming..._

the sunset was beautiful, and dream thought maybe he should be making a song or writing a poem about it. 

then george came and set beside him, and all thought of that washed away as he sat up and turned to look at him. he waited, blinking, but all george did was look down at his hands, impassive and emotionless. that was fine. george was often like that. though not around dream...

soon dream couldn't take it anymore, and he leaned forward, pressing his lyre to his chest as he did. "so?" he implored. "what did the physician say?" george looked back, smiling sadly, and sighed, leaning back against the bark of the tree. for a moment they let the dying light wash over them. 

"i'm ill," george replied, and dream's heart dropped to his stomach, feeling as if the air had been sucked out of his chest. "he doesn't know with what, but he told me i'm running out of blood. he says i'll die." dream felt tears prick at his eyes at that. "but he says that to everyone, dream. i'm sure it's nothing." 

"right, yes," dream reassured, more for himself than george, clasping one of his hands in both of his and smiling as wide as he could. hoping desperately that if he did it enough how he felt on the inside would match. "maybe we should pray to apollo sometime. he's the god of health, after all. maybe he'll be kind enough to bless you." george laughed as dream smoothed his thumb over george's knuckles.

george's smile faded into a softer, kinder one, instead of his usual amused one. "dream," he said, and dream looked up, blushing at the way he carefully enunciated the name like it was precious, "i'll be fine. it's not going to kill me and even if it could, i wouldn't let it." dream laughed slightly at the implication of george being able to control it. "so relax."

"i know, i know," dream replied, staying quiet for a second after that to bask in the moment. george was so rarely honest with him - because even if they did love each other, george was almost never vulnerable. like he was protecting himself from something. "i just don't want to lose you."

at this came a content sigh, and george nudged dream in the shoulder, closing his eyes once again. "and you won't," was all he said, looping his right leg over his left. after a moment of hesitation dream looped his arm around george's shoulders and pressed himself against his side.

they watched the sunset together, unaware of what was to come.

❂

"he's still as lovely as ever, you know," dream said, brushing his hand across patches' fur. she was a loyal dog, and a ferocious one, too, kind yet dangerous enough to deter sapnap from making any jokes about eating her. "even if he's sick. i know it's a weird thing to say, but..."

"but you're in love, yes," sapnap finished, and dream blushed. he dusted off his pants, knotting leaves and flowers together. "if you love him so much, why don't you wed him?" dream sighed and shrugged. sapnap sighed, too, though it was more frustrated than hopeless. "why not, then?"

dream leaned back against the grass, making patches shift slightly on his lap. he continued to scratch her fur. "i'm worried," he admitted, even if he knew it was stupid - they'd been together for two summers, and of course if george didn't love him he would've _said so_ already, but dream couldn't help but let doubt seep in. "that he doesn't truly love me."

"so pray to aphrodite, then," sapnap said, a mocking tone to his voice, and dream couldn't tell whether he was being serious. "dream, don't you think if he didn't love you he would've already told you? seems pointless to me." dream shrugged. "besides, now that he's fallen ill..."

the reminder made dream sag, and the smile faded off of sapnap's face. "oh, i'm just being cautious. i'm sure he'll live." his wrist flicked as he winded two leaves together in a circle. "george is nothing but stubborn. he'll manage." sticking his tongue out as he threaded a flower by its stem through the knots. "what do you think?"

it was a kind of headpiece, or a crown maybe, leaves and stems tied together in a circle shape, flowers decorating the whole thing and covering it. sapnap placed in on top of his head and smiled. "it's nice," dream commented, and he meant it. sap had always had an eye for aesthetics. "can you make one for george?"

he thought that maybe if george only had a little time left, he deserved a gift before that. and it wasn't like he needed to be any prettier, with his soft dark brown hair and pale skin, but dream smiled even at the thought of him wearing it.

sapnap scoffed. "i'm not making one for _him._ he can't see colours, can he? i doubt he'd be able to appreciate it too much." dream drooped at the realisation that sapnap was right. he probably should get him something more practical or useful - medicine, maybe, even if george had enough already.

at the dejected look on dream's face, sapnap gave in and scooted closer. "fine, fine. i mean, he can see some. that should be enough." 

he placed his basket full of flowers and stems and leaves between them and showed him, carefully, how to wind and knot and tie them together. and with every colourful flower that made its way into his hands, each one reminded dream of george.

❂

the words flitted through his mind over and over again even days later. _if you love him so much, why don't you wed him? don't you think if he didn't love you he would've already told you?_

dream tangled his fingers through his dark blond hair and sighed. he knew it was true, on a logical sense - and dream had always been a logical person. smart, witty, charismatic. that's what he'd always been told, but he didn't feel so charismatic now, sitting speechless beside the boy he loved.

"the stars are really beautiful tonight," george remarked, and dream hummed, closing his eyes as they sat atop the sloping house roof, rock crumbling when their feet slid against it. "maybe you can write a song about them. that's what you do best, right?" 

when dream didn't reply, george furrowed his eyebrows and nudged him gently in the side. "what's wrong with you tonight?" he asked. "you're usually so loud. not that i don't appreciate you being quiet for once," he added, as if it were an afterthought. dream laughed.

"it's nothing. i - i got you something." george's eyebrows shut up and dream dug around in his satchel until he found it. the flower crown, as sapnap had named it, was a little crooked and a little messy from dream's first try at making it, but maybe that just added to the charm. "well, i made it."

he placed the crown into george's hands, and he squinted at it for a moment. dream took a deep breath, nervous that george wouldn't like it, but a second later he gave his classic giggly laugh, high-pitched and excited and so, so familiar. "thanks, dream."

dream smiled as george, carefully as if he didn't want to damage the thing, placed the crown on top of his head. even in the darkness he looked beautiful, and dream didn't think he'd ever get tired of the way he said his name. "i mean it, even if i can't see the colours... correctly. thank you."

"of course," dream responded smoothly, even if alarm bells were going off in his head. _do i_ _t! do it now!_ he shook his head, but the insistent thoughts wouldn't go away, and his fingers twitched. _ask him to marry you._ _do it._ dream turned to george, hair flowing in the cold win. _do it before it's too late._ "george..."

"wait," george interrupted, and dream felt disappointment wash through him, though it was soon to be replaced by concern as george doubled over coughing. he placed his hand on george's back as he clapped his hands over his mouth, and when george pulled them away, there were splatters of blood on them. "oh, no."

"we should get you to the physician," dream hurried, and george nodded without protest, which was even more of a worry. "has this happened before?" dream thought he should really stop asking questions, because when george shook his head, all it did was make him want to retch.

he looped his arm under george's knees and the other around his back as he stood up, feet slipping against the rocky surface. dream carried george down, toward the entrance of the structure, where he pushed dream away and got onto his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. more blood stained on his fingers. 

the lights of the physician's home flickered in the distance, and george coughed. "i can go on my own." before dream could protest, he shook his head. "really, dream. i would actually prefer... to be alone during this." he took off the flower crown and pressed it to his chest. "besides, i have this to make me think of you."

despite his worry dream smiled and rubbed at his own face tiredly. "if you insist," he said, and as george walked away he reached out one last time. "george?" he turned back, looking at dream with wide, pure eyes that dream loved to write about so often. "i love you. don't make me lose you."

george smiled back. "you won't."

❂

"i'm sorry, dream."

though dream was sure wilbur meant well, all the comment did was make him angrier. "i don't need your pity," he snapped, and he didn't bother to stay focused long enough to hear wilbur's reply, only the shuffling of his feet as he walked away. 

another hand on his shoulder made dream jump. "maybe you should talk to him? before the burning." dream's eyes flitted back to sapnap as he nodded. sapnap nodded back, clapping his hand onto dream's back before walking away.

the pyre was messy and an eyesore, and dream would have looked away if it weren't for _george,_ his body laying among the sticks that were set to burn in a few moments. his chin and neck and hands were still stained with blood, making a sick feeling rise up in dream's throat.

but he was still so pretty, and beautiful. his face serene like he was finally at peace, yet also so emotionless. the flowers sat atop his head, leaves tangling with his ruffled hair, and dream stepped forward. the skin of george's hand was cold as dream pressed his lips to it, one last time.

the funeral was due to start soon, but dream still couldn't tear his eyes away. "george," he started, wiping at his eyes, "i - i wrote a poem, for you. i know you're always saying i write too many, but..." he closed his eyes as the memories washed over him, of george berating him for being _such a poet_ all the time. dream had never had it in him to tell george that poetry was the only way to express how he felt with him. "i thought - you know. one last time."

he cleared his throat, unsure how to start. "love -" his voice broke on the first word, and dream took a deep breath to try to restart. "love is... the way you laugh when you're happy -" his voice was quiet for once, staring into george's still, calm face, "- how you make me feel..."

and he continued like that, murmuring poetics and lines to a corpse, someone he knew wouldn't hear. it was worth it, he thought, worth it for the normalcy of it all, because if dream closed his eyes, it almost felt like it used to - not in front of a dead body or a pyre, but in a garden, on a rooftop, telling stories like everything was okay. like everything would be okay.

his voice shook as he finished the final verse. someone called out his name - vaguely, in the distance, but he couldn't hear clearly as he sobbed. quietly, tears dripping down his cheeks and leaving tracks across his skin. everything was a blur of colours, and maybe it was better that way.

"i'm sorry." dream leaned forward, biting on the inside of his cheek to prevent from bursting out into sobs. "i'm so sorry. i should have done something." his fingers twitched like he ached to hold george's hand like he always did. "i should have stayed. i shouldn't have let you go."

the corpse didn't respond.

there was nothing else to say, but dream couldn't walk away. he couldn't. couldn't bring himself to stand up or get to his feet, to turn his back on the one person he loved the most. with his last bit of strength he reached out, fingers trembling, to brush his hair back from where it had fallen halfway over his eyes.

dream finally found it in himself to stand on shaky legs, walking backward away from the pyre, step by step. "goodbye," he whispered. george was still wearing the flower crown as dream stood back with the others.

and he was still wearing it when he burned.

❂

there was nothing left for dream to do.

everything he wanted - everything he'd been working up to - gone. taken from him, and george had been taken, too, along with his hopes and dreams and his future. his home. his home was gone, too, because it felt so empty without george's presence, without the things he'd littered around the floor.

he knew he shouldn't have thrown them away, but they were a pain to see, and every time dream looked at them it felt like another stab through the chest, like he was the one dying. and the memories would keep coming back, no matter how many times he tried to keep them away. so he did what (he hoped) anyone would do.

threw them all away. burned the ones he could, even if the flames made him think about the pyre. kicked the other ones into the dirt, into the river, anywhere he couldn't see them. out of sight, out of mind. 

"i thought memories were supposed to be nice," dream had told sapnap, one day after the burning, "they aren't, sap. they hurt. they hurt so bad." to which sapnap had smiled painfully, sadly, making dream ache more. "i want them to stop. i want to stop remembering - can't i just _do_ that?"

the shake of sapnap's head in response had hurt more than anything.

dream sighed, willing the tears and the thoughts away. he shoved his whittling knife into his satchel and slung it over his shoulder. patches barked at his feet, and he kneeled, smiling tearfully, fingers scratching at the fur at her neck. "i won't be back for a long time, patches," he said, even though with every word dream felt like keeling over and crying. "but i'll be back. i will."

in response patches bit at his finger playfully, holding it in her mouth, gentle so that it wouldn't hurt. dream laughed, though it was halfway a sob. "i'm sorry, i really am," he whispered, "but i'll try to be back as soon as i can. it's -" 

the door burst open, wood slamming against the walls, and dream scrambled back. "it's just me," the person said - sapnap - and dream sighed. the force of the wind flooding in through the door made the candle in the corner flicker out and die. "i'm tired of you."

"are you sure? because if i'm seeing correctly, you're the person who just nearly broke my door," dream grumbled in subtle indignation. "what is it that you want, sapnap? i'll be leaving soon, and i'm not sure when i'll be returning -"

"exactly," was sapnap's interruption as he stepped into the cottage, feet tapping against the wooden floor. "i'm tired of your moping, dream. if you love george so much..." his voice softened as his hands curled into fists. "you should go get him back."

it took dream a moment to process sapnap's words, but the moment he did he burst out laughing. " _get him back?_ " he repeated incredulously, before the smile faded off of his face and dream scowled. "his body was burnt, sap. his soul's in the underworld, now. he's dead. there's nothing you can do about it. there's nothing _i_ can do about it." the words hurt, but in a way, it felt good. maybe he was on his way to accepting it. 

sapnap dropped to his knees to be eye-level with dream. "but what if i told you that you could?" he asked, and dream pushed through the hope rising in his heart and snorted. "dream. you are aware that there is an entrance to the underworld, right?"

"what, an arrow to the head?"

"at the base of the mountains," sapnap continued, standing up to look out the door. dream let patches settle into his lap as he listened to sapnap. despite his refusal to take his best friend seriously, he couldn't help the faint curiosity, accompanied with hope. if it was a chance to get george back, maybe it wasn't so bad. "an entrance to the underworld, where the connection between it and our own world is strongest." he turned and grinned. "wil told me."

dream sighed as patches bounded off to curl herself around sap's legs. "of course he did. sapnap, even if i make it to the underworld... how will i get george back? lord hades is not always known to be the most..." he leaned back on the palms of his hands, searching for a wording that wouldn't offend the god. "compassionate."

"you thought you got me there, didn't you? no, i've been thinking about this." the admission surprised dream. maybe this wasn't just something simple to sapnap, like he'd thought. maybe he wanted george back too. "you can sing, dream. you sing better than anyone i know."

although dream laughed in disbelief, sapnap seemed dead serious. "dream. before anything else, you're a poet. you're a writer. you're an _artist._ and you do it good, i have to admit." he crossed his arms. "and if lord hades isn't moved by anything you say, then i'm not sure what would."

"do you really think that would work?" dream asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible as not to encourage the feelings making his stomach feel like it was being turned inside out. 

"he's married to the goddess of spring and nature, dream, how bad could he be?" he asked, before turning back to clasp dream on the shoulder. "so? are you going or not? because as far as i know... this is your only chance, before he goes to elysium permanently."

dream moved back, but winced when something poked his hand. when he brought whatever it was up to inspect it, his eyes widened, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. it was a little figurine made out of clay, and though it was a little deformed and dusty dream could still vividly remember how it had came to be.

a summer day, sky blue and clear and lovely. before everything had gone wrong. george's eyes had been closed as dream sculpted a figure out of clay, the sharp edge of his knife smoothing over the dull brown material, glancing at george beside him to compare the two.

"george," he'd said, once he'd been finished. "look. i - uh - it's you." dream blushed, realising how awkward this was. "i know it's not the best - i do sculpting sometimes, but i'm not the best at it. and it's totally okay if you don't -"

"dream," the interuption had been, as george opened his eyes and stared back at him. "it's really nice. thank you."

then he'd smiled, freckles dotted across his nose and cheeks clearer in the sunlight, dark brown hair perfectly tousled as it ruffled in the wind, and dream smiled back, feeling like his heart was going to burst in his chest.

dream took a deep breath as the memory sank into him, making him look down at the floorboards. he wanted george back, that was clear enough, and if sapnap was right? if something could be done about it? what reason did he have not to take that chance?

sapnap smiled when dream looked up, like he'd known all along that he would give in, eyes locking together. when dream spoke, his voice was resolute and hopeful all at once, like the sun rising from below the horizon as dawn broke.

"i'll do it."

❂


	2. act two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _i hear the walls repeating;_   
>  _the falling of our feet, and_   
>  _it sounds like a drumming..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: this fic is not representative at all of the original myth, or greek mythology as a whole - changes have been made to better suit the story. keep that in mind reading through.

_and we are not alone..._

❂

the surface of the mountain was rough, and when dream placed his hand on the rock, it came away coated with dust. it was jagged enough to cause a bead of blood to appear on one of his fingers. he looked up, at the stone towering above him, and sighed. it was daunting, scary almost.

"you can do this, dream," sapnap said from the side, his arms crossed across his chest. he wouldn't be coming with, but he'd been nice enough to accompany dream on his journey to the mountains. the entrance to the cave was dark, and somewhere in there dream could hear the sound of water dripping. he couldn't decide whether that was good or not. "if there was anyone, it'd be you."

despite his shaking fingers and the worry in his heart, dream smiled. "thanks, sap. your faith... means a lot." he tugged the hem of his fingerless gloves over his wrists to steady his trembling. dream didn't know and didn't care whether it was because of the cold. "i guess i'll be on my way."

"of course. try not to get yourself killed." sapnap hoisted himself up on another rock, before stopping. "dream?" dream looked at his best friend, standing above him, hair blowing in the wind. "...good luck."

all dream did was nod and watch sapnap walk away. when the latter was finally out of sight, he sighed again, before looking into the hole. hesitantly, he stepped forward, foot slipping against the wet, jagged surface. he had to take it slow or else he'd fall, but otherwise, it would be fine.

that's what he told himself, anyway.

he wrapped his fingers around the strap of his bag and continued down. a few minutes further and dream was about to take out his torch, when his shoe caught against something. dream leaned down, careful not to snag his green tunic against anything, and scrambled around for whatever it had been

a coin. golden and shiny despite the dark and gloominess of the cave. so bright it almost looked like it was glowing, like it was casting light onto the rock where dream held it up. "what..." he murmured to himself, turning the piece of metal around in his hands. there was something carved on it - a fruit, dream thought to himself. upon closer inspection, he realised what it was. a pomegranate. the fruit of the underworld.

although he wasn't so sure what to do with it, dream wrapped his fingers around it. maybe it was his imagination, but the thing seemed to radiate power, importance - like there was something he had to do with it, even if he didn't know exactly what that was.

it wasn't normal gold, that was for sure. dream wasn't particularly wealthy, but he had enough money to know that gold didn't shine or glow like that in the dark. he didn't even need a torch for the rest of his journey underground, the coin casting yellow light onto the rock. definitely not normal.

dream stepped forward again, but this time, the flat of his shoe slid against a stone, and he fell forward. the surface of the rock caused him to bleed in some places, and he winced at the pain. he brought his hand up to balance himself, eyes widening when his palm touched something smooth and flat and _cold._

he lifted the coin up for light and stood up on shaky legs to examine what he was touching, pushing aside a few vines and rocks to get a closer look. a line ran across yellow, almost brown metal, and in the centre of it there was what looked to be like a handle - a circular piece of gold with a round dent.

somehow, dream knew what to do. he turned the coin over in his fingers and pressed it into the dent so that it slotted in just perfectly, the pomegranate carving facing out, toward him. for a moment, nothing happened, and dream's heart dropped to his stomach; wondering whether sapnap was wrong...

and then his vision was filled with shades of yellow and white, so sudden that dream fell back onto his rear end. the only thing he could see was light, hands scrambling against the rough cave floor.

when the light faded away, dream recoiled and squeezed his eyes shut, curling his knees up to his chest. it had been painful, almost, but at least it was over. that was what he assured himself, anyway, as he shook his head and tried to get the sight of it out from beneath his eyelids.

the doors had opened, he realised when he opened his eyes, into a staircase leading down. dream peered over the side of it - the stairs led into what looked like a wasteland that was mostly barren, the few trees that were planted into the dirt having a scarce amount of leaves, if they had leaves at all. a river ran across the land, the sound of water rushing loud even from far away. he squawk of a harpy in the distance made dream's blood run cold. it was desolate, hopeless, miserable - fitting for the land of the dead.

dream winced when the wood of the stairs creaked under his feet. he walked down, slowly, hesitantly, clutching his lyre and his bag in hand. the doors swung shut behind him with a loud thud, and he furrowed his eyebrows. no going back now, then.

although the area hadn't looked too big from the top of the staircase, it took dream too long to reach the river, longer than he'd expected. trudging across the dirt wasn't fun, his sandals splattered with mud and sweat across his forehead from the heat, but he gritted his jaw and kept walking. he could do this. he _had_ to. for george.

the river styx was wide. so wide that dream couldn't see where the land across was. it looked like an ocean, a never-ending expanse of dark liquid. water lapped at his feet, and the sound of it rushing past was loud in his ears, almost terrifying. one wrong step and he'd be carried away by the currents, smashed against the rocks.

he shivered at the thought, closing his eyes. how did people get across the river in the tales? well, first they had to be _dead,_ but dream was decidedly not dead. charon would ferry the dead across the river into the underworld, but when dream opened his eyes and looked around, there was no one in sight. maybe the deity was... off duty. dream didn't really know how things worked in the underworld.

"what's this?" a deep voice said from behind him, with a funny pronunciation and accent not unlike george's. "a living soul? you know, i don't see those too often around here." dream spun around to see a man, with pale skin and curly-wavy brown hair, standing in front of him. dark shades over his eyes. "being the land of the dead and all."

"who are you?" dream asked, instinctively. then added, "charon...?"

the man laughed like it was a ridiculous idea. "no," he replied, crossing his arms. "i'm the god of chaos... eret. though i suppose you mortals know me as eris." it took dream a second to process who he was talking to, but the second he did, he dropped to his knees and smiled nervously.

"i'm sorry," dream rambled, every tale of the gods smiting someone to death for pathetic reasons running through his brain, "for my - misunderstanding, lord eris. eret. lord eret." he decided to stop talking, clenching his jaw, the plastic smile still on his face.

eret looked bored, almost irritated, by the display. "it's alright. get up," they said simply, and dream did just so, scrambling to his feet. "what's your name, why are you here, and how did you get here alive?"

"um." dream rubbed at his arms, not sure where to begin. "my name is dream, my lord. my... lover... died, and i came to the underworld to retrieve him. to try to - get him back." he hesitated, realising how stupid it sounded out loud, but eret didn't seem bothered at all. "i came here from the base of the mountains... i found a coin and doors that led me here."

although dream could barely catch it, eret's eyebrows quirked up in interest. "really? well, that's interesting." he sighed, tapping at their chin for a second in thought. "if you've made it this far, then maybe you're doing something right. i feel nice today. i'll ferry you across."

"really?" dream questioned, voice full of hope, up on his tip-toes like he was poised to jump. eret raised an eyebrow, and he calmed himself down, grinning, though the lights in his eyes couldn't bring themselves to fade. "thank you so much, lord eret! i'm so grateful."

all eret did was walk forward, past dream, standing at the edge of the river. with a snap of his fingers a boat appeared on the water, miraculously staying afloat and still even with the speed and force of the water. it was wooden, and though dream felt hesitant to climb in after the god - well, eret was right. he'd made it this far.

he wasn't giving in now. not to a boat and a river.

the wood creaked under his weight but otherwise held up strong. eret snapped his fingers again and the boat drifted down the river as if it were across a peaceful lake and not against a current that made dream recoil at times from how daunting it was. they were both silent, for a while.

"i apologise if this is... asking for too much," dream started, and at the neutral look on eret's face he was urged to continue, "but do you... perhaps have any advice for what i should do when i confront hades?"

"confront him? is that what you plan to do?" eret asked. dream nodded, holding up his lyre and hoping eret would catch the gist. "ah. music. an ode to your lover. well, i hope you're prepared. hades loves music, but he's very picky with his choices." he looked at dream as if appraising him. "tell me about him."

dream was caught a little off-guard by the question, but drummed his fingers against his lyre in thought anyway. "well..." he started, trying to decide where to start - there was a lot about george, things that he loved and things that he hated. "he... built things. contraptions. i never quite understood it, but - it was fascinating to watch. he always knew where things were supposed to go and what would make things _work._ "

he was getting carried away with his rambling, everything he remembered about george hitting him full-force. "he was stubborn. always. and he hated being vulnerable, asking for help. he did complain a lot, so that was that. always so pushy and whiny." dream laughed. "sometimes he could be a little air-headed, too. and annoying. but he was _funny._ and - and i loved him."

when he trailed away, and looked back up, eret had an amused grin on his face. "did you?" he questioned, and dream's fingers twitched as he nodded. "hmm. well, as a god of discord, i suppose i'm obligated to tell you that even good things end in chaos, dream."

dream wasn't exactly sure where the words he said next came from and how he'd mustered up the bravery to say them, but he did anyway. "and as a person?" he questioned, and eret raised his eyebrows, taken aback at the question. they took a moment to consider the question before shrugging. 

"as a person... i say good luck."

the words made dream suck in a deep breath as the boat slammed against the rocks. "we're here," eret announced, and helped dream clamber off the boat and onto the shore. dream looked around, the area much less barren than before - it was still a little dark and dull, but there were leafy trees hanging over his head and even a few flowers. 

there were a few dozen feet from a black iron gate. "you go through that gate," eret said, "it'll split off into four paths, and hades' castle is down the path on the far right. trust me, you don't want to go down the other paths. then you can talk to him."

"really?" dream asked hopefully, scanning the area. sapnap had warned that the journey would be perilous and far too dangerous for any average mortal, but so far the biggest obstacle dream had confronted was the river and some wet dirt. "is it... really that easy?"

eret laughed. "sure," he replied, before jerking his head toward the gate yet again. in the distance dream could hear a familiar sound, one he'd heard from patches so often - barking. and the thundering of footsteps that didn't sound very human.

"if you can get past cerberus, that is."

❂

a curse unfit for even the land of the dead flew from dream's mouth as a giant three-headed dog appeared at the gates of the underworld.

the next second, eret was gone, whisked away into the shadows, leaving dream to face cerberus alone. upon closer inspection, dream was relieved to see cerberus was at least attached to a chain, meaning he couldn't attack dream if he stayed where he was.

that was the good thing. the bad thing was that if dream were to walk up he'd be torn to pieces. and chances were, it'd hurt.

dream squeezed his bag strap and thought. in the stories, they'd feed him cakes, and he'd calm down enough for the feeder to slip through. whenever he ate, his mother used to tell him, he'd be pacified. with furrowed eyebrows dream dug through his bag, relieved to see that the cake he'd brought was still intact, wrapped in a rag.

cerberus' three heads snarled as he approached, straining against the chain, claws scrambling against the ground. each claw was probably the length of his hand, curved and sharp like a dagger. when he barked, maw open and drooling at the food, dream saw that his teeth were even _sharper._

it barked again, clearly hungering for the cake in his hand. feeding it by hand was probably the best method, but dream wasn't too keen on getting his hands bitten off, so he threw it to the ground at the dog's feet instead. cerberus lunged, eating it up, slobbering all over the ground. 

he stood, hands curled into the fabric of his tunic, waiting for cerberus to calm down. once the cake was finished, he peered at dream with wide eyes, as if asking for more. "i'm - sorry," dream coughed awkwardly, taking it one step at the time as cerberus growled, "i don't have anymore."

"good dog," dream murmured as he stepped even closer, angling to the side so he could run through in one go, "good hound. i don't have anymore food, see?" he held his hands up, and cerberus stared at them, tilting his head. "good dog. just stay right there..."

cerberus did not 'stay right there'. instead, he lunged again - this time at dream.

his claw swiped at dream's chest, and dream scrambled back just in time for it not to cut too deep. there was still a scar across his chest, though, blood dripping down his skin and soaking his tunic. he crawled back, fingers clenching against the ground, muttering curses to himself.

pain raced through his body, searing and hot, but luckily the wound was shallow enough to be not as bad as it could have been. he had bandages in his bag, but he could do that later. for now he had to get past cerberus before the dog got even angrier. with shaky legs dream approached once again, lyre in hand, shushing cerberus as it snarled.

this time, the dog seemed calmer, growling flatly instead of barking and yapping. dream's hands shook around his lyre as he crept past, through the gate and into the field with four paths. just as he stepped through, relieved, cerberus pounced again, paws up, ready to swipe across dream's face with long, sharp, claws -

" _come back to me,_ " dream sang, before confusion rippled through him. why was he _singing?_ but it seemed to be working, as cerberus froze, his deadly claws hovering above dream's face without making contact. tremulously his fingers began to strum the strings of his lyre. " _l - lover, here tonight..._ "

his voice was off tune and trembling from fear, but it worked, cerberus making a whimpering sound and backing down. maybe he was touched. maybe he was scared of why this strange man was singing when a dog was about to kill him. either way, it worked. he kept singing. " _you, my rose, with your - lydian lyre..._ _there hovers around you, forever, delight._ "

dream stepped back as cerberus swayed on his feet. a second later the dog slumped to the ground and began to snore, like dream had just sung it a lullaby. he laughed to himself at the sight of a sleeping three-headed dog, but stopped just as soon as he started. he had to focus. he had to get george back.

with one last look back at cerberus behind him, dream trekked across the field, grass brushing against his feet, on his way to the far right path; the path that led to hades' palace.

❂

the black gate creaked as dream pushed it open, metal scraping against the dirt. it was almost like a completely different area - whereas the land before was dry and barren, the steps that lead to a towering dark palace were surrounded and littered with flowers and bushes. 

some were torn apart and wilting, but it was still so much more vibrant than where he'd been before. something dream was grateful for as he took a tentative step forward, letting the gate close behind him with a thud. he continued, but the second he did something dove into his face.

dream yelped in pain as something scratched down his face. feathers flapped and squawking was hard as the soft material got in his mouth, a sharp contrast to the blood on his face. the harpy screeched like a deranged bird and went to dig its talons into dream's hair, presumably to carry him away somewhere like in the stories. he shut his eyes and waited, but nothing happened.

more screeching filled the air, and the harpy started flapping its wings, trying to take to the air. with a sigh of relief from dream, its talons were off his face as it flew away, into the distance and around the back of the palace. dream swiped at the blood on his face and looked up.

"oh my goodness," a voice said. there was a man in front of dream, peering down at the latter in concern. his skin was a shade of grey and his hands were somewhat clawed. two large horns that faded into a red colour protruded from his head. he was wearing a black cloak lined with red that reached his hip, pinned to a grey chiton underneath with a pin. "i'm sorry about that. the harpies are so unruly this time of day."

"it's - fine..." dream said as he stood up. he brought his hands up but before he could touch his scar the man swirled his finger into a circle. it was a strange experience, feeling his flesh stitch back together and connect smoothly, but it wasn't painful. "thank you."

"of course!" the man chirped. "but..." he tilted his head, raising his eyebrow as he examined dream. when he reached out to touch dream, he flinched, but all the man did was press his fingers to dream's neck, where there was a steady beating. "you're alive. hm." 

dream flushed. "i - yes, i am. i'll - i'll try to explain the best i can... who are you?"

the man tapped at his cheek and smiled, small fangs poking out. "well, most people here call me bad. you can call me that as well." out of thin air a flower materialised - dream recognised it as a chrysanthemum, yellow and bright and vibrant. bad let it settle into his hand before passing it to dream. "but i suppose you mortals know me as persephone."

_persephone!_ a voice resounded in dream's mind as he dropped to his knees and bowed, gritting his teeth. "i - it's such an - an honour to meet you, lady persephone. lord persephone. yes. that's it. and i'm so sorry for intruding..."

all persephone - _bad_ \- did was laugh and brush his black hair back. "it's alright. i really don't mind - it gets boring up in the palace all the time, you know? there's not much to do, really. well, i'm sure it's different on the surface." his voice trailed off, but bad shook his head. "hm. follow me. you'll explain on the way why you're here. if the fates let you get this far... surely there's something."

he turned on his heel and started walking away. dream scrambled to follow, picking up his bag and his lyre. they walked side-by-side down the stone path, the sound of harpies screeching in the distance making dream wince, but none of them dared to come near.

bad radiated a sort of presence that was both compassionate and authoritative. there was a calm smile on his face as he hummed out a tune and made flowers bloom across the ground they walked on, but everything about him, down to his posture and expression, exuded power. confidence.

"well," dream started when bad looked at him expectantly. "i had... i was courting someone. his name was george. he was..." dream fell silent for a moment, searching for the correct word to describe him. "he was amazing. i loved him a lot. then he - he - passed. he was ill. i - i don't know what it was, but -"

a hand on his back made him relax just a tiny bit as they continued to walk. bad didn't say anything but shot him a comforting look. dream took a deep breath and continued. "i - i came here to get him back. or try to, at least. i planned to sing lord hades a song - convince him to let george up to the surface again - but i'm not sure how well that would work."

"that's a very solid plan, dream," bad remarked, much to dream's surprise. "if there's anything i know from being with this - hades, you call him? - i know that he likes music. now, come with me. i know the halls can get a little confusing for an outsider."

they were. the corridors twisted and weaved together like a tapestry, confusing dream at every turn - he wasn't so sure if some hallways looked the same or if they were simply circling back. he guessed it was the former, as soon they appeared in an entryway that hadn't been there before, doorway lined with engraved gold.

"skeppy!" bad called, and dream tried to keep himself from shivering. he supposed that was hades, even if it _was_ a strange name - all the deities he'd met seemed to go by different names. was it a popularity, an intimacy thing? or were mortals just too caught up in their own interpretations of the gods who ruled over them? dream didn't find it too unlikely. "we have a guest." 

with a smile bad pushed dream in and followed after. dream wasn't sure what he'd been expecting - in his mind he picture hades to be looming, a powerful, terrifying presence, cloaked in black and grey and dark colours. 

instead sitting on a throne was what looked like a regular man, with brown skin and brown eyes. his chiton and chlamys were both different shades of bright blue, a sharp contrast to the muted colours of the throne room. he had fluffy brown hair that was also blue in streaks. 

"hello bad!" even more surprisingly, his voice was high, and under different circumstances dream might have found it grating. "a guest, huh? a... mortal." he tilted his head and raised his eyebrow. "bad?" his voice was sharper now. "why is he alive?"

bad ignored the question and walked forward. "oh, uh, let me explain. don't be so rude, skeppy. this is dream." who didn't ask how bad knew his name. "and he's alive because he came down here to ask you to bring his lover back from the land of the dead."

there was a moment of silence in which skeppy's eyes cut to the side while he considered it. the next moment he was bursting into laughter, giggles spilling out from the side of his mouth even as he clasped his blue-gloved hands over his face. "you - bring back - bad, you're acting really dumb today. is everything alright?"

at bad's unimpressed look, skeppy sighed. "bad. you know i can't just release people from the underworld. they're down here for a reason. and i don't want to anger the fates." the last part was quieter than the rest as he tugged at the fabric of his clothes. "besides, it's my job to keep them here."

"you're acting very rude to our guest, skeppy." bad's mouth was drawn into a pout, and it almost reminded dream of george, how he frowned when he was being especially stubborn about something. it made his heart ache. "if the fates let him get this far, then he must be worth at least a moment."

skeppy's face softened and for a second dream hoped he'd relent, but in the end he shrugged again. "there's nothing i can do. if souls are meant to be in the underworld, they'll stay there." he looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "it's night time. take the mortal to one of the guest rooms, and when another day comes on the surface, he'll go back."

dream's lip quivered, but he forced himself not to cry, to not show weakness in front of a god. he bowed weakly. "thank you," he said, voice barely a broken murmur, as bad led him away down the hallway, his eyes full of sorrow and regret.

"dream?" skeppy called, and the sound of his name made him jump and look back. although skeppy seemed firm in his decision, there was something akin to wistfulness written all over his face. "i... i'm sorry i can't do anything." before dream could respond skeppy crooked his eyebrow and grinned, gesturing for dream to keep moving.

he did. and with every step forward his heart broke a little more.

❂

"this is your room. you'll stay here until a new day comes on the surface, and i'll have eret bring you back. don't go anywhere, you muffin! it's dangerous out there." dream wondered what in tartarus a muffin was, but before he could ask bad was already out the doorway. "and... i truly am sorry, dream."

bad gave him a sad smile before shutting the door and leaving dream alone. the room was a little small, but that was fine by dream - there was still space to put his bag down. a bed was pushed against the wall with dusty silk sheets under a window, and a desk at the foot of it. dream set his lyre down on the wood and sighed.

he'd failed. he'd come so far, gone through so much, just to fail when skeppy had told him that no, people who were dead _stayed_ dead. dream had planned to sway him with a song or a poem, but the god hadn't even given him a chance. why didn't he think of that? why couldn't he have considered that gods had duties too, before he'd gone on this impossible mission?

dream heaved another sigh and looked out the window, swiping through the dust that coated the glass. outside there was a small garden, flowers blooming through bushes, willow trees that looked almost magical hanging over the grass. the sight made dream smile, even if it was tired and weak.

beyond the garden, however, was a gate. it wasn't any of the ones he'd encountered after escaping cerberus. he had to squint to read the words shaped across the top of the gate door: _judgement._

when people died, dream remembered, they got sorted into the fields of punishment, asphodel, and elysium, based on their actions while they were living. they were _judged._ but too many people died at a time, so there had to be a place where they waited to be judged. this was it, dream guessed, the wrought iron gate that spelled out that exact word.

it was stupid. it was reckless, and yes, it was impulsive, and dream knew if george or sapnap were beside him they'd scream at him for even considering it. but he didn't sail across the river styx and get past cerberus to a god's palace for nothing, for failure. he'd always been prideful in that way. and if george wasn't coming back, dream wanted to at least say goodbye.

he didn't bother picking up his bag or anything else, just his lyre, as he dashed out the door.

the hallways were just as confusing as before, but dream managed to find his way out into the garden. he looked up at the walls of the palace, where he could see his own room's window, lit from the inside. dream hoped bad wouldn't notice.

but there was no time for guilt (he hadn't done anything wrong, anyway) as he sprinted across the ground to get to the gate. harpies screeched and arae hissed, trying to charge after him, but the second dream flung open the gate with surprising ease and crossed the threshold they backed off. despite the monsters' annoyed growls, they couldn't seem to enter a world that was designed for mortals and gods only.

dream looked around, across the rolling fields filled with dull grey grass and wilted flowers. it was so lonely and desolate, made even more so by the fact that dream didn't even know if george was there, or if he'd already been judged and gone to elysium or chose rebirth. 

as he continued down, his hope started to drain. none of the other people even acknowledged him as he passed, too busy murmuring to themselves or simply sitting there blankly as they waited. "george?" dream dared to shout, hoping no one would mind. there wasn't even a reaction.

except.

maybe it was his imagination or his deluded mind, but in the distance dream heard a hesitant yell. "... _dream?_ " and that was enough, because dream was already running toward where he'd heard it, faster than he'd ever gone in his life. a familiar laugh reached his ears and there he was -

"what are you doing here?" george's voice was amused in a surprised way, eyes welling up with tears as a smile spread across his face. it quickly faded off with his next sentence: "oh no. you didn't - die, did you, dream? tell me you didn't."

"i didn't, i didn't," dream reassured him, and the words made george relax, shoulders sagging. "i - i came down here. to the underworld. by myself." he smiled and rested his hands on george's shoulders. "for you. i'm going to get you back, george."

a look of disbelief passed george's face, and he laughed, bowing his head forward. "and how will you do that?" he asked.

dream sat back and picked back up his lyre, strumming it a few times. "i'm going to sing a song," he answered, choosing to ignore the fact that skeppy had been quite decisive in not giving dream a chance to persuade him. "about you, 'cause gods know how many i've written about you. might as well put them to good use.:

"if anyone could convince hades, it'd be you," george said, the total faith and belief and _love_ in his voice nearly making dream melt. george's face grew into something more soft then. "you know, you don't have to do this for me. i'm fine... here." he ran his fingers through the dark-coloured grass.

"i know you might be the stubborn one in this relationship, but if you think i'm leaving, then you don't know me well enough." george laughed at this, murmuring "worth a shot" under his breath. "i'll get you back, george. soon. you just wait for me, okay?" his hands trailed up to george's face, squishing his cheeks together as the other laughed. "i'm coming. i'll take you home."

george's eyes shone with hope as he raised his eyebrow. "promise?" he said, voice more hoarse and broken than dream had ever heard it. dream smiled, warmth running through his chest.

"promise."

❂

time, as it turned out, didn't work the same way in the underworld as it did on the surface.

nothing changed. when dream woke up, no light was shining in through the windows, no chirping birds, no rising sun. it was the same as always, a dull grey land made vibrant by the countless blooms and greenery that he could only assume was placed by bad.

who, speaking of, was opening the door. "dream?" his voice was sad and dejected, and dream suspected that he'd tried yet again to convince skeppy, and although it had clearly been in vain he appreciated the effort. "it's time for you to go back to where you belong. we -"

"no."

bad's eyes widened, and dream felt himself flushing at being so rude to a deity. "i - i meant - i apologise, lord persephone, i was being... i don't want to go back to the surface. not without george." there was a sort of emotion in bad's eyes at these words, like he was impressed, moved by dream's dedication, but the sadness remained. "i would like to try to appease hades. please. give me one chance." he sank to one knee and stared up at bad, eyes shining with hope. 

"get up, you muffinhead," bad said, and dream stood. bad sighed and his eyes darted down to the floor, before looking back up at dream. "alright. i'll try to persuade skeppy one more time. because i admire your dedication, dream. you have more than most mortals i've seen. but after that? it's all up to you."

dream nodded, slinging his bag across his back and holding his lyre close to his chest. they padded through the corridors, and perhaps dream was just getting more used to it after seeing them twice, but they seemed less confusing. or perhaps they really were rearranging for the two of them, as dream could swear it took less time to get to the throne room than it had taken yesterday. 

skeppy tilted his head when they approached. "skeppy," bad started before his husband could start, "i have a proposition for you. please just listen." with a curious grin skeppy nodded, running his fingers through his blue-streaked hair. "you give the mortal a chance. to convince you. to persuade you. and in the end, if he can't, then we'll bring him home. but if he does, you'll have to bring... him back."

the moments dragged on in silence. bad watched, clawed fingers twitching at his side in anticipation. dream chewed at his fingernails as skeppy breathed in, deeply, closing his eyes as he thought. "okay," he finally relented, and dream's heart skipped a beat in joy, "one chance. 'cause i feel bad."

"you won't regret it, lord skeppy," dream said, trying to restrain his unadulterated happiness from seeping into his voice. he dropped his bag to the ground and placed his hands on his lyre, fingers dragging across the strings as a test. _breathe in, breathe out_. he could do this. he had to do this.

dream let the memories wash over him, for inspiration. he'd rifled through the dozens of poems he'd written for george during the night, but in the end he'd decided he would improvise. let it come naturally. hopefully it was the right choice. 

going swimming in the river. picking flowers in the fields. teaching george how to write a poem, laughing at how terrible his attempt was. love grew in dream's chest as he furrowed his eyebrows and straightened, beginning to sing with all the emotion that ran from all throughout his body, starting with the verse he'd sung before.

" _come back to me_ ," he started, recalling the lyrics, except this time he was more sure. the singing flowing like water in the sea, blood through his veins. " _lover, here tonight. you, my rose, with your lydian lyre - there hovers around you, forever, delight._ "

skeppy's eyes were closed and he was enjoying the song, but clearly it wasn't enough to convince him. that wasn't a problem. dream still had much more from where that had come from. " _and it seems to me, you're equal to gods, the man who sits within the scope of my sweet voice."_

even bad seemed impressed, his eyes wide and sparkling as he looked back and forth between dream and skeppy. " _the time for river-watered quinces,_ " dream continued to sing - one more verse. he still had one more verse to play, fingers plucking against the strings of his instrument. " _the blossoms beneath the shady vine roots is spring. and yet, eros leaves me no time for resting -"_

the word spring seemed to make skeppy recall something, a faraway look in his eyes as he listened, intently. dream almost grinned to himself as he played. sapnap was right. if anyone could sway the gods with song, it was him. it was dream. " _he is wherever you are, scorching, cavernous, bold, and keeps a guard's firm hold of my heart."_

his finger stilled as dream ran out of verses and words, tongue dry. skeppy's eyes flickered to bad. "you -" he started, hands curling into fists. "i'm impressed, dream. that was... amazing." dream smiled. "...i'll strike a deal with you."

light filled his heart as he jumped to his feet and this time it was dream's turn to listen as skeppy spoke. "i will give you a chance to get your lover back. eret will lead you two back to the last tunnel out of the underworld. you will lead him back up, and then you both are free. but you can't look back while leading him out, or else his soul will return back to judgement. you must go _blind,_ believe in trust and your faith in each other. are we clear?"

that didn't sound so hard. dream bounced on his heels and nodded. "yes, lord skeppy. and... thank you. so much. for this." he bowed before picking up his bag and scurrying out into the halls. both gods watched him leave.

"you gave him a chance, skeppy." bad's voice was happy, full of pride of the man standing next to him. skeppy smiled. 

"did it for you," skeppy said, and bad laughed. "kid's not done yet. he's got a long way to go. guess we'll have to wait and see." he looked to the corridor dream had disappeared down and bad nodded, expression fading into something more steely and determined. 

"yes. we'll have to wait and see."

❂

"do you think it'll work, eret?" fundy asked, the glass of wine in his hand half-empty as they watched the two lovers race toward the tunnel, hand-in-hand, excited and young and passionate. 

mortals had such a short lifespan, eret thought, and yet they were so lively. they all lived to the fullest and if he was being honest, eret felt a little jealous, to be so short-lived and vibrant and energetic, to not have the love burnt out of you from years of chaos. 

but eret had his friends and the people he loved ruling beside him, so he suppose not _all_ the love had faded from him quite yet. "maybe," he replied, finally, after a moment of consideration, "mortals are so fickle, you know, but they can be so determined when they want to be. i believe they can do it."

"and if it doesn't?" 

"then it was just never meant to be."

❂

george's hushed laughter was the only thing dream could hear even as they raced toward the tunnel. they'd said their goodbyes and thank yous to eret and the god of wine, fundy, that had been there with him - promising worship and sacrifices in return to when they came to the surface.

("i don't need any of those," eret had said, "just get up to there with him for me. that's enough.")

"i told you," dream said as they stopped right at the top of the same staircase dream had been going down just a day ago. it all seemed so far away now, but maybe that was just because he had george by his side, squeezing his hand tight. "i told you i could do it."

and his heart nearly burst when george laughed. "i told you that you could do it to, you know," he said, voice almost cocky, and dream smiled. he never wanted to go a day without george again, without seeing him smile or pout or say something completely ridiculously stupid because he was _george,_ never wanted to take another breath without him. "but let's get going. the sooner we get to the surface, the sooner i can kiss you."

the idea made dream smile even wider. george's skin was still slightly translucent if he squinted, flickering in some places with silvery colours and wisps. his eyes were a faded shade of grey. dream nodded and turned to the doors, which swung open on cue.

he stepped in, and the second he did, george's hand seemed to dissipate in his own. dream gulped. fundy had warned this would happen, that during the in-between of the alive and the dead, things didn't really the feel or look the way they should. _just don't look back,_ dream told himself as he walked forward.

a loud thud told him that the doors had closed. it was quiet save for the water dripping down the stone, splashing against the rock and his skin, a cold feeling that made him shiver. "george?" he called, out loud, even if he suspected that he'd hear nothing in return.

indeed, all he got back was a faint shadow of a whisper. that was enough to reassure him at the moment, and he continued up the tunnel, careful not to slip. the cave was just ad dreary as before, small narrow rivers and trails of waters running along the ground. dream stepped in them on purpose, making the water splash against the stone, to occupy him with something that wasn't walking. to feel something. to take his mind off of the darkness seeping into him.

it felt different, from last time. whereas when he was coming down the tunnel felt normal, somewhat mysterious yet well within the human realm of possibilities - now it felt like something else entirely. like something was sucking the breath and hope out of him and twisting it into something else.

his heart was aching in his chest, almost like it was being squeezed. dream struggled to breathe, not because of the lack of air, but because everything felt too suffocating, pressing down onto him. "george?" he called again, hoping the whisper would comfort him.

he got nothing in return.

panic settled into him. dream's fingers twitched, the hand that had been holding george's before, feeling nothing but air. "george?" he yelled again, and for a second time he was met with dead silence. 

what if skeppy had been lying to him? he seemed like an honest person, but he was the god of the dead and the underworld - dream wouldn't put it past him. was this a trap? to get dream's hopes up only to point and laugh when he made it out alone? _poor dream. he really thought that the dead could come back to life._

or maybe it was a test of a different kind. to test his doubt, his reasoning, his awareness. maybe he should turn back. maybe it was a trick. but what if it wasn't? doubt raced through dream as his steps slowed, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.

just a little look would be okay, right? not even a full look back. just a glance. his eyes cutting to the side. that would be okay. except he couldn't risk it, no, not if george would be whisked back to the underworld - but what if -? 

light was beginning to shine through, but dream's heart still felt cold, and each thump in his chest felt like a sword stabbing through him. he wanted george back, so bad, wanted to see him again and -

silence.

george looked so pale in the sunlight, like it was filtering right through him. his voice shook, and this time dream could hear. "you're early," he whispered, tears sliding down his cheeks. dream stared back. he'd _failed._

"i missed you," he echoed back. his fingers were trembling at his side, but when he tried to place them on george's shoulders they phased right through, like he was fading away already. "george." it wasn't fair. it wasn't fair. he'd come so close, could feel the warmth of the sun on his back. it wasn't fair. he didn't want to lose everything he had/

george was barely a blur then, but dream thought he could make out the ghost of a smile on his lips, sad and sorrowful. "i don't want to lose you," dream whispered.

_you already have._

"you won't."

it was a lie.


	3. epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _it's a sad song, it's a sad tale_   
>  _but we sing it anyway_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> emotional destruction.

_'cause here's the thing, to know how it ends_

_and still begin to sing it again_

❂

"anyone got a knife? or a flint, at least?"

the question was met with silence, much to the boy's frustration. dream stared at him, short brown hair and pale skin with light freckles dotted across his nose. his mouth was set into a pout as he went ignored, dream pulling out his own knife and debating giving it to him. "who's that?"

"oh, that? george. he's kind of weird. i've never seen him hold a conversation with anybody, really," sapnap answered. dream tilted his head and his eyes raked over george, his brown eyes and his button nose and his weirdly chapped lips. "you like him, don't you?"

dream didn't bother answering. he marched forward with a sense of determination and stood by where george was sitting, hunched over something that dream couldn't make out. he looked up with raised eyebrows as dream approached, slipping his knife out of his pocket.

"give me that," was george's instant response, snatching the blade out of dream's hands so quickly the latter was afraid he'd cut himself. dream winced as a small cut appeared on george's palm, red trailing down in a line. he didn't react at all, instead using the knife to sharpen a piece of rock.

they were both silent for a moment before george narrowed his eyes, almost passive-aggressively, as if asking dream why he hadn't left yet. dream knelt down and grinned. "that's my knife you're borrowing. i didn't give it to you."

a blush dusted george's face, cheeks turning red, and dream found it endearing. "okay," he murmured, continuing to rake the sharp edge of the knife across the rock in his hands. dream wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to achieve. all he knew was that the blood dripping down his arm was getting increasingly worrying.

"hold out your hand," he said, and with a confused look replaced by a roll of his eyes george complied, palm up. the cut wasn't too deep, but his hand was still covered in red, smearing all over his fingers and knuckles. dream took out a roll of bandages, and george groaned. "what?"

"do you have to do that?" george questioned as dream tried to clean the blood off as carefully as he could. "it doesn't really matter. it'll heal over in a few days." dream furrowed his eyebrows as he winded the bandage around george's hand. "i don't want to waste your bandages, either."

dream finished wrapping around the cut and snapped the bandage off the roll, letting george curl his hand into a fist to test. "trust me, you're more important. you should pay more attention to your health." the corner of george's lips quirked up a little, and dream smiled. "my name's dream."

a look of recognition crossed george's face at the name, and he took a moment to think, smoothing his fingers over the rough surface of his bandage. "the singer," he said, and dream nodded, "i've heard about you. they say you're a good poet. is that true?"

he scooted himself closer to george until their shoulders were pressed together. dream wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question, so he just shrugged. "don't think i have the right to say anything about myself -" he strummed his fingers across his lyre strings experimentally, "- why don't you decide for yourself?" and with a wink he started to sing.

people stared and gaped at dream's musical skills all the time - and after all that, one would get used to it. but the soft emotion on george's face as he listened to dream singing, almost like an admission - felt different. so much more of an honour, although dream couldn't place why.

once he was done, he turned to george, blushing at the grin on his face. "pretty good, right?" dream said, tone arrogant and cocky to make up for the heat building in his cheeks. "you know, one day i'm going to sing to the gods. and they'll love me so much i'll become one."

george laughed, high and clear and self-contained all at once. "i think it's treason to talk like that," he said between giggles, and when he calmed down he stared at dream out of the corner of his eye, making warmth bloom in his chest like he'd never felt before.

"but it _was_ pretty good... what else you got?"

❂

_it's a love song_

_it's a tale of love from long again_

❂

"dream! what are you doing here?"

they'd been courting for a few months, but george still looked scandalised every time dream appeared at his door. he was peeking out of the window, looking down, a slightly panicked look on his face. "what do you think i'm doing, georgie? i'm courting you like a real man should."

george murmured, "oh, shut up," but an amused smile spread across his face, and that was a win for dream. he disappeared from the window and footsteps were heard before he appeared at the door, tying a string around the waist of his chiton. "what do you want?"

"what _i_ want is _you_ \- to come with me." when george opened his mouth, dream interrupted him with, "no asking questions. it's a surprise, okay? don't ask where we're going, all that's important is that we're going there. okay? okay."

before george could respond dream grabbed his hand and tugged him along. they walked along the field, george whining and asking dream where they were going, the other refusing to yield. across the river, past the growth of bushes used for sacrifices and gifts for the gods, until they came across a thicket of trees.

dream smiled at george, pushing a branch aside and gesturing for george to step through. with a raise of an eyebrow he did, ducking his head and entering, dream grinning when he heard the other gasp even if he couldn't see it. he followed george in and watched him gape at the sight.

fireflies buzzed around, casting a yellow glow of light across the clearing. there were three logs rooted in the ground, and one of them had a candle on top, wax melting onto the flat surface of wood. perhaps the most impressive part of it all, however, were the cluster of flowers circling around them - shades of deep blue and orange, petals of different shapes and sizes.

"i chose the colours that i knew you could see - oof!" dream didn't get to finish his sentence as george had wrapped him in a hug, fingers curling tight into the back of his tunic as he snuggled his face into dream's chest. "oh. uh. i guess you like it."

when george drew away, his expression was neutral, but his face was slightly pink. "nobody's ever really done anything like this for me," he admitted, and dream raised his eyebrows even though it was painfully obvious. "thanks, dream. i love this."

dream took a moment to stare at george, the soft curves of his face and the happiness and light in his eyes. he shook himself out of his trance and grinned, holding up a basket. "well, we didn't come here to just look, did we? i brought food." rolling his eyes fondly when george replied with _of course you did._

they talked. dream couldn't exactly place what about - about his writing, the cows someone had accidentally let out in the morning that day, wreaking havoc all around town until people managed to catch them and put them down. dream told stories - he was good at that, george said, _you're so much more interesting than i am._

"sing me a song," he said, and dream laughed at the request.

"you complain about how i'm always writing and then you do this? you're spoiled. i don't have a song prepared for you." george gave a content hum as he leaned his head onto dream's shoulder. "reap what you sow, george. i'm sorry, i can't."

george blinked. "improvise," he suggested, and dream rolled his eyes. "or sing a song you've sung before. i don't care. i just like hearing your voice." in the back of his mind dream thought that maybe he should get george sleepy more; he was so open and honest, curling up into dream's side.

the sight was so rare and so precious that dream took out his lyre and drummed his fingers along the frame. "fine," he relented, laughing when george hummed again. dream began to sing, and although he mixed a few lyrics up, george didn't seem to mind - his face buried in the crook of dream's neck, their bodies slotting together like a puzzle piece.

his voice eventually warmed up and he continued to sing, fingers strumming across the strings of his lyre until his throat began to itch. " _and the stars soften the blaze of their beauty,_ " he finished, tapping the gold of his lyre to show that the song had ended. "so? what'd you think?"

instead of answering, george straightened and planted a kiss on dream's cheek, making him go about as red as the tomatoes he saw growing in the gardens. "i think it was great," he murmured into dream's ear, voice sleepy and soft, and dream felt like he was turning to jelly.

he had to carry george home, that night. dream found he didn't really mind.

❂

_it's a sad song_

_we keep singing even so_

❂

"they sure are close, huh?"

sapnap watched as george or dream sat, shoulder-to-shoulder, giggling to one another at the steps leading up to the city hall. "you're preaching to the head of the choir, tubbo," he said, and tubbo laughed, "they've been so lovey-dovey. well, dream has been. i don't think george would be caught dead being half as affectionate."

"true that," tubbo chirped, arms behind his back as they watched dream say something, george pouting in return and smacking him in shoulder. they were so natural with each other, like they fit together perfectly, and sap had never seen dream like that before. never seen the love that sparked in his eyes. "do you get jealous?"

"me? jealous? of george?" sapnap let out a scoff, and then a snort, and then he began to full-out cackle at the idea. tubbo watched, laughing along incredously as sapnap doubled over in amusement, so loud he was worried he might interrupt dream and george a few dozen feet away. "ah, no. i've never seen dream quite so happy. it's nice, i guess."

tubbo raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. "don't get me wrong, though," sapnap rushed to add, "they're still gross. i mean, jeez, way to rub it in everyone's faces. i'm about to sue them just for making me sick to my stomach."

at this tubbo gave a dopey smile and patted sapnap on the back. "you should! be careful, though, i'm a lawyer," he remarked, before waving and walking away. sapnap crossed his arms and watched him leave. the kid was strange, that was for sure.

he turned back in time to watch dream wave a piece of parchment in george's face, the latter grabbing it to read. dream stared at george as he did, a soft smile on his face, cheeks dimpled, green eyes filled with something sapnap couldn't place. it was new. and he only ever got it with george.

sapnap wondered, for a moment, whether dream's lines of sacrifice and unconditional love weren't hyperbole. he'd always been dramatic, but maybe this time he wasn't exaggerating. and certainly it seemed, when dream smiled and laughed at george's jokes, no matter how unfunny they were, that he would. 

that he'd give everything away, every single part of him, to walk to the ends of the earth just to stay together. just to make him happy.

then sapnap realised that he probably shouldn't have been creeping, turning on his heel and walking away, thinking that maybe those thoughts should be reserved for another time.

❂

_it's an old song;_ _it's an old tale from way back when_

_and we're gonna sing it again and again_

❂

"it's been a while, george."

dream fiddled with the flower in his hand, picking the petals off one by one. they fell to the ground, littering the dirt and the grave in front of him. "well, maybe not too long. but i guess even a summer without you is too much, right?"

no response, of course. dream vaguely wished they hadn't burnt the body - at least then there'd be some part of george still around, even if it was rotting away. his second thought was that actually, maybe burning him was better than letting him become a pile of flesh and bones.

"so, i'm sick now! i guess. that's what the doctors said. kind of a... well. bad memories associated with that, yeah?" his vision started to blur with the tears in his eyes. dream sniffed. "i don't know what to think, george. i'll miss them. sapnap. tommy, wilbur... they're my friends too. i don't want to leave them behind. but maybe... i don't know how it works, but. maybe i'll get to see _you_ again."

still silence. nothing but the sound of wind brushing past the leaves of the trees behind him. dream crossed his legs and laid the flower across the patch of dirt in front of the grave. "patches... sapnap will take care of her, i know it. i just..." dream leaned back, biting his lip. "ugh. it's all so hard."

"and i'm sorry i failed," dream continued, voice lower and softer and more serious. "it was... all my fault, really. not a day's gone by without me thinking of you, and it hurts. it hurts so much knowing that i could have had you but i -" tears slid down his cheeks and he pursed his lips, "- but i couldn't."

maybe if george was there he would've reassured dream that none of it was his fault, but he wasn't. he wasn't there because of _dream,_ because he'd been too cowardly and too restless to stay looking forward for a few more minutes. "i'm sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking, "i'm so sorry."

so this was how it ended. he'd always imagined going out softly, but not this way. not like this. not so sadly and depressingly, sitting by the grave of the person he'd loved so much and failed so hard to save. he wasn't dream, the poet, the singer -

he was dream, the boy who'd failed. the boy who gave under pressure, the boy who came so close and so far only to let it all away, slipping out of his hands like sand through his fingers. how selfish was he, to look back when all he had to do was walk forward. maybe in another universe, he wasn't. maybe in another universe, he was brave and strong and selfless enough to _keep going._

_"dream, slow down," george complained, even with the wide smile on his face. his face and skin no longer so see-through, and dream ran his hands all over his face, past the crinkles in the corner of his eyes and the scrunch of his nose. no longer an apparition or a soul, but him. george, in his entirety. "we did it."_

_"we did it," dream repeated, pressing their foreheads together, tears welling up in his eyes. "you're alive. you're alive." and warmth spread through his chest once again, like it always did when he was with george, different and new yet so familiar. like love. like home._

in another world.

but for now...

dream closed his eyes.

❂

_we're gonna sing it again._


End file.
